Mullaperiyar is WATER BOMB! Waiting to explode!

For the past few days there has been some news about Mulla Periyar in leading media. Horrifying news was coming every day that the strength of the dam has increased, leakage has started to be seen and the water level is rising. How many of the people of Kerala know the history of this dam, which sows the seeds of fear in a nation and stands like a monster? Mullaperiyar dam is located in Kumily gram panchayat area of Peerumedu taluk. The Mullayar and Periyar rivers are known as the confluence of various tributaries originating from the Sivagiri hills on the Tamil Nadu border in this panchayat. Mullaperiyar Dam is a dam built across the Mullaiyar River. The Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary in Thekkady is located around the reservoir of this dam. In 1789, the first consultations were held to divert the water from Periyar to the Vaigai river. The initiative was taken by Muthirullappappilla, who was the head of King Muthuramalinga Sethupathi of Ramanadu in Tamil Nadu. Although he was in alliance with the British, the plan was not implemented at first because King Sethupathi declared war on the British. Sethupathi lost the war and was soon deposed. The area came under Madras Presidency. Water scarcity in Theni, Madura, Dindikkal and Ramanathapuram became a headache for the British. At the same time, the weather is causing floods in Periat in Travancore. The British planned to channel the Periyar river water through the mountain of the Western Ghats to the Vaigai river which flows through Madura. For this, an expert named James Cadwell was appointed to conduct the study. James Cadwell's conclusion was against the plan. But the British will not back down from trying to return the water. Later another study was conducted under the leadership of Captain Faber. Based on this, the works of a small dam to divert the water started in 1850. The plan was to divert the water through a tributary called Chinnamuliyar. But due to some circumstances the construction had to be stopped. Another scheme was proposed in 1867 by Major Reeves, Madurai District Engineer. The project was proposed to bring water to Suruliyar, a tributary of the Vaigai river, through canals dammed 162 feet high at Periyar. But the project was abandoned due to the difficulty of temporarily withholding water during construction. Another project proposed by General Walker, then Chief Engineer, was abandoned due to technical problems. In 1882, architects Captain Pennycook and R Smith were commissioned to submit new plans. The proposal was to submit a new one after studying all the old plans. Accordingly, Penicuke prepared a plan for a 155 feet high dam. The width is 115.75 feet at the bottom and 12 feet at the top. The cost of the dam, which was made of lime, surki and gravel, was expected to be Rs 53 lakh. It was found that seven percent of this amount will be returned from the scheme every year. The British government, which was struggling with severe drought, approved the project and gave instructions for construction. The present dam was built by British Army engineers and workers. With this, Periyar Lake was also formed. Water started flowing into Vaigai. Kannimara Prabhu, Governor of Madras Government, inaugurated the project by cutting the tree. At Thekkady, thumps were made for the Karyadarshis and thumps for the workers to stay. Cutting down huge trees was a heroic endeavour. The workers first came from Ramanathapuram. The wages were six (38 paisa) a day. But when Malampani and others threatened, workers had to be brought from Kambam and Tirunelveli. Portuguese carpenters were brought from Kochi and lime plasterers from Kutch and Coimbatore in Gujarat. Hand-drilled augers were tried to excavate the rock at the site of the dam, but as it was time-consuming, mechanized drilling equipment soon began to be used. The dam was constructed using granite six inches thick and stacked with mortar and pestle. Construction materials were transported to the project area of the dam by road, waterways and railways. The temporary dam collapsed twice in rainwater. Along with that, the workers were also washed away. There were also attacks by elephants and other wild animals. About 5000 people were employed there at different periods for the construction of the dam. 76 people died in 1892, 98 in 1893, 145 in 1894 and 123 in Kollam the following year. An almost 5704 feet long limestone tunnel is constructed to carry water from the reservoir of the dam to the Vaigai River in Tamil Nadu. As the Periyar is a river in Kerala, the plan required the consent of Travancore, then Kerala. Visakham Thirunal Ramavarma was the ruler of that time. At first he was unwilling to enter into a contract. British authorities used political force to force Travancore to sign the treaty in 1886. Visakham Thirunal Marthanda Varma wistfully described this agreement as "I am signing with my heart's blood". Periyar lease deed: On 29th October 1886, Maharaja Visakham Thirunal of Travancore and the British government entered into the Periyar lease deed to build the Mullaperiyar Dam and take Periyar water to Tamil Nadu for farming. Dewan v. for Travancore. The agreement was signed by Rama Iyenkar and Secretary of State John Child Hannington on behalf of Madrasi State. Visakham Thirunal foresaw that the agreement would be harmful to the country in the future. But realizing that he could not sign the agreement due to pressure, the Maharaja responded by saying, "I am signing it with my heart's blood." Repair Secretary K. K. Kuruvila, J. The witnesses to the agreement were H Prince and JC Hannington. The original seven-page agreement was recently discovered. According to the agreement signed for 999 years, Periyar was to be dammed on 8000 acres of land under Travancore and another 100 acres of land was to be given for the dam. It should be leased to Kerala at Rs 5 per acre. Kerala received about forty thousand rupees at that time. An average of 60 t per year from the dam which was completed 116 years ago. M. C. 6960 t each so far. M. C. Water has reached Tamil Nadu. In November 1958, the then Chief Minister E. M. S. and in July 1960 with Chief Minister Pattam Thanupilla in 1969 again with Chief Minister E. M. Kerala did not give in to any of the negotiations with SS. But on May 29, 1970, Chief Minister C. The agreement was renewed during the reign of Achyutamenon. According to the agreement executed retroactively from 1954, the lease was fixed at Rs.30 per acre and Rs.12 per kilowatt per year for the electricity produced using Mullaperiyar water in the lower camp. This was without the permission of the legislature. At the time of its renewal in 1970, there was a provision to renew the agreement every 30 years. Although the contract that was supposed to be renewed in 2000 was not renewed due to a dispute, Tamil Nadu continues to pay the Kerala government at the old rate. Perumbavoor Irrigation Department Superintendent Officer's No. 1 Head Office. Including Rs 2.5 lakh for the dam property and Rs 7.5 lakh as royalties for power generation, the total is around Rs.10 lakh per annum. About six inter-river water contracts including Coimbatore and Shiruvani are settled here. According to the demand notice sent from here in September, the draft of rent of Mullaperiyar electricity and property reaches Periyar Division in Theni. At Ravanya Head, the Irrigation Department will credit this amount to the account of Kerala. Pathanamthitta Electricity Department Division is responsible for accounting for the amount of electricity generated by the Tamil Nadu Hydroelectric Power Station at Lower Camp below Kumali. Although Diwan Sir C.P. approached the then Viceroy Mountbatten to cancel this lease agreement and raised his concern, the British government proceeded with the construction of electricity in violation of the agreement. CP's report to the King of Travancore says that the Viceroy said he would do what was necessary to resolve it. But nothing happened. Tamil Nadu has been trying to renew the agreement ever since India became independent. On November 9, 1958, the then Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu and the first Chief Minister of Kerala, Mr. Discussion was held with EM,S Namboothiripad. Later, many correspondences were held with Tamil Nadu and Kerala on this issue. On July 4, 1960, Sri Pattam Thanupilla and again on May 10, 1969, Tamil Nadu held discussions with Chief Minister E.M.S.S. Later on May 29, 1970, in the context of a discussion with the then Chief Minister Mr. C. Achuthamenon, it was decided to renew this lease agreement. For Tamil Nadu Public Works Secretary K. Ss. Sivasubramaniam and the then hydropower secretary K.P. on behalf of the Kerala government. Viswanathan Nair also signed the agreement. All the provisions of the 1886 agreement were retained and a very important clause was included in this revised agreement. The new agreement allowed Tamil Nadu to allow more power generation at the powerhouse using water from the dam. In the agreement of 1886, the lease amount was five rupees per acre, but in the revised agreement it was increased to thirty rupees per acre. The new agreement also stipulated that the lease amount can be renewed every thirty years from the date of the agreement. The revised agreement was to allow Tamil Nadu to use water from the Mullaperiyar dam to generate electricity for Tamil Nadu's needs at the Periyar Powerhouse The new agreement allows Tamil Nadu to lease 42.17 acres of land in Kumali village for the purpose of power generation. The agreement states that Tamil Nadu will pay Rs 12 per kilowatt year to Kerala for power generation up to 350 million units. But if the amount of electricity is more than 350 million, it has to be paid at Rs.18. A kilowatt year is 8760 units. The 1886 Lekarar, enacted during the British rule, effectively lapsed with India's independence. Section 7 of the Indian Independence Act of 947 abolished all treaties with the princely states and British India, and accordingly this treaty of 1886 became null and void. Kerala's problem now in the Mullaperiyar issue is the revised agreement of 1970. Mullaperiyar is the oldest existing high gravity dam in the world today.[6] It was the largest dam in the world at the time of construction. It has the distinction of being the only existing dam in the world constructed using surkhi mixture. Mullaperiyar Dam is one of the oldest dams in India. The catchment area of the dam originates and ends in Kerala itself. This dam was built during the British rule to bring water from the Western Ghats of Kerala to the rain shadow areas of Tamil Nadu like Madurai and Theni for irrigation purposes. The height of the dam is about 53.6 meters (176 ft) from Astivaram. Length is 365.7 meters (1200 feet). The Periyar Tiger Reserve is close to the Mullaperiyar Dam. Built in 1895, the Mullaperiyar Dam is leased by Tamil Nadu for 999 years. Although the dam is located on the territory of Kerala, it is controlled by Tamil Nadu. An issue regarding the safety of the dam has led to a dispute between the two states. When Kerala raises the argument that Mullaperiyar Dam, which is more than a hundred years old, is a threat to the lives and property of the people of five districts of Kerala, while the lifespan of a dam is 60 years, Tamil Nadu also argues that Kerala's arguments are baseless by pointing out the scientific studies that have been conducted on this. Kerala had argued in the Supreme Court that the Periyar Lease came into existence before the independence of India, and when India gained independence from the British, all treaties and agreements existing between the British and the princely states of India were automatically cancelled. With the earthquake in the project area in 2000, Kerala's worries multiplied a hundredfold. Some studies also say that the Mullaperiyar dam is located above fault lines. While Tamil Nadu claims the dam is safe, Kerala says it is alarming. Kerala's argument is that the auxiliary dam, Baby Dam, is also dangerous. But while the Chief Engineer of Tamil Nadu says that the dam was reinforced with cement in 1922 and 1965, there is nothing to fear, but experts in Kerala say that the cement will not adhere well to the old surkikoot. In 1902, lime, the main material used in the construction of dams, was losing 30.48 tons per year, Kerala's argument is that it has increased many times. According to the report of M. Sasidharan, who studied this, the strengthening done during 1979-81 caused the dam to weaken. The report also states that earthquakes measuring more than 4 on the Richter scale in the vicinity of the dam are a serious threat to the dam. The report says that temporary reinforcement will not last, but a new dam is the only solution. On November 24, 2006, Navy teams came to study the safety of the dam, but following the central directive, they returned without conducting the study. The storage capacity of the dam is 15 million cubic feet of water. But the maximum permissible storage capacity as per the court order is 136 feet. This is equivalent to 11 million cubic feet. But due to heavy rains, the water level in Mullaperiyar Dam rose to 136.4 feet on the morning of November 28, 2011. The dam has 11.2 million cubic feet of water, although it has dropped to 136.3 feet due to less rain. After this, the excess water is diverted through the spillway to the dam. This is how 107 cubic feet of water per second flows into the Idukki Dam. It takes 24 hours to reach Idukki Dam. But if the dam breaks due to an earthquake or otherwise, the water will reach the dam in three to four hours. The maximum storage capacity of Idukki Dam is 74.5 million cubic feet. But up to 70.5 TMC is stored. As per November 28, 2011 estimate, the water level in the dam on November 28 was 2384.7 feet. 60 million cubic feet of water is 79.06 percent of the dam's storage capacity on November 28. This means that the Idukki dam can hold 10 million cubic feet of the 11.2 million cubic feet of water that would be released if the Mullaperiyar dam breaks..The water level of Idukki Dam can be controlled by opening the shutters of Churuthoni Dam as part of the Idukki Hydro Power Project in a controlled manner within 3 – 4 hours after the dam collapse. Churuthoni Dam has five main shutters at the top and two small shutters at the bottom. Each of the main shutters can discharge 25,760 cubic feet of water per minute. KSEB said that all seven shutters are ready to open at any stage. The authorities have clarified. Along with this, if the people below are threatened with danger, serious consequences can be avoided. 66 sq km. It is estimated that it will not be difficult to discharge the excess water of 1.2 million cubic feet if the water is fully released through all the seven shutters within three to six hours to fill the vast Idukki Dam. But if the disaster occurs when the water level in the Idukki dam is higher than the current level, the situation will be even more serious. If the Mullaperiyar collapses, the soil, stones, trees, etc. that may be washed away are likely to significantly reduce the storage capacity of Idukki. Also, if the flow of water through the shutters is obstructed by trees etc., the amount of water discharged will be reduced. Another possibility is that if the Mullaperiyar dam collapses, water and other debris including trees will threaten the Idukki dam. If the Mullaperiyar dam collapses completely, the water level is 50 feet high and the water is likely to rush into the dam. The lives of 70,000 people in Vallakadav, Vandiperiyar, Mlamala, Chappath, Upputhara and Ayyappankavil areas in this area will be at risk due to this. Another peculiarity is that 30,000 of them are of Tamil origin. If the Idukki Dam collapses under this impact, the 11 dams below it will also collapse. In effect, such a disaster is likely to affect the entire population of Idukki, Ernakulam, Kottayam and Alappuzha districts. According to the secret report given by the Central Soil and Material Research Station team appointed by the Supreme Court to study the strength of the Mullaperiyar Dam, the collapse of the Idukki Dam along with the Mullaperiyar Dam will lead to the division of Kerala into two. In the report submitted as part of the Mullaperiyar Comprehensive Disaster Management Plan (Comprehensive Disaster Management Plan for Mullaperiyar Dam Hazard), it has been said that water will flow to the Idukki Dam 36 km downstream within 45 minutes of the dam collapse in the manner described above. Another conclusion is that if the shutters of Churuthoni Dam are fully opened, the water will rush 40 feet through Periyar. The situation can be even worse during monsoons. Roorkee I on the consequences of Mullaperiyar dam burst. Kerala signed an agreement on November 30, 2011 to conduct the study with I.T. The State Disaster Management Authority has taken steps to prepare the Idukki Dam in such a way that it can absorb the water from the Mullaperiyar Dam in case of collapse. As part of this, the water level in Idukki Dam was reduced to 59.5 tmc. As a result, even if the existing 11.75 TMC of water reaches Mullaperiyar, Idukki Dam will be able to absorb that water. It has been decided to maintain this level with or without increasing power generation.